Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckahab’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant name ‘Eckahab’, characterized by its inflorescences with soft red-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves with burgundy-colored petioles; compact, uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; very freely branching habit; early flowering, natural season flower maturity date is November 16 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 7 weeks; and excellent post-production longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Eckahab’.

The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The obfective of the breeding programis to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts withdesirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-productionlongevity.

The new Poinsettia is an induced mutation of the Poinsettia cultivar490, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,825. Plants of the newPoinsettia originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Poinsettiacultivar 490 to X-ray radiation. The new Poinsettia was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a populationof irradiated plants in a controlled environent in Encinitas, Calif., inDecember, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its attractiveflower bract colors and good plant form and substance.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken atEncinitas, Calif., since 1998, has shown that the unique features ofthis new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Eckahab’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Eckahab’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Inflorescences with soft red-colored flower bracts.

2. Dark green-colored leaves with burgundy-colored petioles.

3. Compact, uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.

4. Very freely branching habit.

5. Early flowering, natural season flower maturity date is November 16for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 7 weeks.

6. Excellent post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the mutationparent, the cultivar 490. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inEncinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed from plants ofthe cultivar 490 in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia have smaller leaves than plants of thecultivar 490.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia have smaller bracts and smallerinflorescences than plants of the cultivar 490.

3. Flower bracts of plants of the new Poinsettia are soft red in colorwhereas flower bracts of plants of the cultivar 490 are dark red incolor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Poinsettia.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of atypical plant of ‘Eckahab’.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a topperspective view of a typical plant of ‘Eckahab’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view oftypical leaves and flower bracts of ‘Eckahab’ (top) and ‘490’ (bottom).Plants used in the photographs were about 16 weeks old.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown in Encinitas,Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with daytemperatures about 24° C., night temperatures about 19° C., and lightlevels about 4,000 foot-candles. Single plants were grown in 16.5-cmpots, pinched one time, and flowered under naturally lengtheningnyctoperiods during the fall. Plants used for the description were about16 weeks old.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckahab.

Parentage: Induced mutation of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar490, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,825.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 10 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 20 to 22° C.

Rooting habit.—Thick, fibrous and freely-branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded; mounding.

Growth habit.—Upright, outwardly spreading, compact and uniform planthabit. Upright branch angle; thick, strong lateral branches. Very freelybranching; branching is enhanced by removing the shoot apex; about 8lateral branches develop after removal of the terminal apex. Moderatevigor to vigorous.

Plant height.—About 28.5 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 55 cm.

Crop time.—From unrooted cuttings to a flowering plant in a 16.5-cmcontainer, about 16 weeks are required.

Stem description.—Lateral branch length: About 21 cm. Lateral branchdiameter: About 1.4 cm. Internode length: About 1.75 cm. Stem color:146A.

Foliage description.—Alternate, simple. Quantity of leaves per lateralbranch: About 10. Length: About 12 cm. Width: About 8 cm. Shape: Mostlyovate with some irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute. Margin:Entire. Texture: Mostly glabrous with very slight pubescence on lowersurface. Surface: Smooth, not rugose. Color: Young foliage, uppersurface: 147A. Young foliage, lower surface: 147B. Mature foliage, uppersurface: Darker than 147A; venation, 146B. Mature foliage, lowersurface: 147A; venation, 146C. Petiole: Length: About 5.2 cm. Diameter:About 2.5 mm. Color: 60A.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development can be induced under long nyctoperiodconditions. Early flowering, response time, about 7 weeks; naturalseason flower maturity date is November 16 for plants grown inEncinitas, Calif.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about 4 to 6 weeks under interiorconditions and for about 8 weeks under greenhouse conditions.

Quantity of inflorescences.—One per lateral branch, usually about 8 perplant.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 29 cm. Height (depth): About 5.5 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence: Usuallyabout 12 or 14 primary bracts and about 6 or 8 smaller secondary bractsper inflorescence. Length, largest bracts: About 13 cm; stalk about 4.4cm. Width, largest bracts: About 9.5 cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with someirregular lobing on older bracts. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute. Margin:Entire. Texture: Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Smooth, not rugose.Orientation: Initially horizontal to somewhat reflexed. Color:Developing, upper surface: 45A. Developing, lower surface: 45C. Mature,upper surface: 45B to 45C. Mature, lower surface: 45D.

Cyathia.—Quantity: Usually about 10 to 14 per corymb. Diameter ofcyathia cluster: About 3 by 4 cm. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 6 mm.Shape: Ovate. Color: Immature: 144A. Mature: 144A to 144B. Peduncle:Length: About 4 mm. Aspect: Strong, erect. Color: 144B. Stamens: Stamennumber: Typically about 5 per cyathium. Anther shape: Oval. Antherlength: About 1 mm. Anther color: 45A. Amount of pollen: Scarce. Pollencolor: 12A. Pistils: Not usually observed. Pistil number: One percyathia. Pistil length: About 8 mm. Stigma shape: Tri-lobed, parted.Stigma color: 46A. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color: 144C. Nectarynumber: One per cyathia. Nectary color: 12A.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Poinsettias hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial conditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Eckahab’, as illustrated and described.